Concert hopping with GMA

These are interesting times around the world. At no other time in history are men openly wearing bras (on their faces, that is). At no other time in history are devout Catholics thinking twice about receiving Holy Communion or going to confession, not because of dogma but because of a virus from hell.

Terrorism and SARS are changing the way we live, love and labor. You can’t get AIDS from a kiss, but you can get SARS, and both are just as deadly. In Guangzhou, spitting (which was once generally socially acceptable among the Chinese), has been outlawed because it spreads SARS. In the US Embassy in Manila, additional sinks have been installed so employees can wash their hands more often. Visa applicants are also screened for signs of colds, cough or fever.

Most supermarkets have run out of hand sanitizers. And, my, I have never been hit with more flying kisses in my life, as more and more people find the flying kiss more health-friendly than the customary beso-beso.

Once upon a time, we could walk into a mall without our bags being searched. Today, when terrorist threats cannot be ignored, bag searches are as common as the cold. We have learned to live with bag searches and car searches at key public installations. In some malls (Greenbelt I, for one), shoppers are also lightly frisked, the way they are at airport boarding gates, before they are allowed in. Body searches before shopping splurges? You better believe it, it’s the 21st century. I don’t even know if body searches are legal in malls.

These are times of interest, indeed, if we must live with some violations to our privacy in the name of national security.

* * *

That is why I find it reassuring to see President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in public places. I saw her in two SRO concerts in just one week – at the Salute concert of Defense Secretary Angie Reyes, DILG Secretary Joey Lina and MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando at the Manila Hotel and the Martin Nievera-Regine Velasquez concert at the Araneta Coliseum.

I personally feel that when the President and her publicists allow her to be seen enjoying a concert (in the Martin-Regine concert, she was even munching on popcorn), even in a crisis, then she really must be in control. The President can afford to relax. She is not ashamed of it and photographers are not banned from capturing the moment.

And when the Presidential Security Group allows the commander-in-chief to be amongst 20,000 people at the Araneta Coliseum – they are showing us that they are in control, the cops are in control, the SARS outbreak is under control.

Rejoice. Life is normal. These may be interesting times, but we are coping the best way we know how. By getting on with our lives – with prudence and not with panic.

* * *

Oh how I enjoyed the Salute concert of Angie, Joey and BF, and judging from requests for an encore, so did the 1,500 other guests who filled up the Manila Hotel’s Fiesta Pavilion last week.

I loved it when Joey Lina sang his favorite song, Impossible Dream, in the presence of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, who at the end of the show, even bussed Joey. The last time Joey sang Impossible Dream publicly, it was at the 19th death anniversary Mass for Ninoy Aquino at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque.

I loved the way BF sang Anak Dalita with such fervor and earnestness – the way a choirboy performs with so much feeling during a Nativity Play. BF was all heart. And he held his own against the powerful diva Dulce for their duet All I Ask of You (from the Phantom of the Opera).

And I loved the cool charm of Angie Reyes onstage. I heard from my colleagues he has had much practice with the microphone because he unwinds with sing-along sessions after work. No wonder. He doesn’t perform before an audience; he sings to them.

Publicist Beth Tagle, who brought the three "terrors" together, said Angie, Joey and BF practised for months for the concert, only taking a break for the Holy Week. The week preceding the concert, they practised everyday, for at least three hours a day. There was always a doctor during rehearsals, because the three did not want to take any chances with their health for their debut concert. And it paid off!

* * *

Last Friday, the President was at the Big Dome, arriving on the dot for the 8:30 p.m. concert of Martin and Regine.

When she walked into the Araneta Coliseum, the Big Dome erupted in cheers.

"When I heard the audience cheer the President, I knew I had a responsive audience. That immediately relaxed me," Martin confided the next day to a friend.

After the concert, Mrs. Arroyo went backstage to congratulate Martin and Regine and to tell him she especially liked his anti-war song (footage of war was shown onscreen as he sang the song composed by Louie Ocampo).

But that eloquent number wasn’t the only thing that caught Mrs. Arroyo’s attention during the concert.

She also liked Regine’s Rajo Laurel gowns, so much so that when she spotted Rajo in the audience after the concert, she called out to him and ordered three gowns on the spot. Rajo said she especially liked the red backless number, but she cautioned Rajo not to make it too revealing. Who knows? She might be in fighting red during her state dinner with US President George Bush at the White House later this week.

You may e-mail me at: [email protected]